WASHINGTON (CNN) - A poll conducted immediately after President Barack Obama announced his nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court suggests that nearly half of Americans have a favorable opinion of the president's choice.

Forty-seven percent of those questioned in the Gallup survey, which was released Thursday, say they rate Sotomayor as an excellent or good choice for the high court, with one in three respondents saying she is a fair or poor nominee. One in five people questioned had no opinion.

"People may have an image of Judge Sotomayor - Latina, modest origins, impressive achievements. But they don't know much about her views or her personality. Those will have to be filled in," CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider said.

The 47 percent in the Gallup poll who rate Sotomayor an excellent pick is slighly higher than the 43 percent who suggested they felt the same way about Samuel Alito immediately after he was nominated by President George W. Bush to the high court in November 2005. But it's slightly lower than the 51 percent who indicated they thought John Roberts was an excellent or good pick right after he was nominated by Bush in July 2005.

The Gallup poll was conducted on May 26, with 1,015 adult Americans questioned by telephone. The survey's sampling error is plus or minus three percentage points.

soundoff(30 Responses)

47% have a favorable opinion of someone they know nothing about?
I'm guessing the margin for error was +- 3%

May 28, 2009 09:16 pm at 9:16 pm |

JT

This poll was taken on the very DAY Sotomayor was nominated. What time of day? Did the people polled even have a chance to get the news before they were even called?

May 28, 2009 09:37 pm at 9:37 pm |

Pat, CA

They don't know much about her. They don't know much about Obama, either. So it's a given that she will be appointed. Oh, my God!

May 28, 2009 09:54 pm at 9:54 pm |

what poll?????????????????

what poll are you talking about because the poll did not include me and I approve Sotomayor's pick. We need diversity and move over the old white men. The Gallup poll does not speak for me and I wonder if the phone calls were to republicans.

May 28, 2009 10:08 pm at 10:08 pm |

Keith in Austin

That's 53 percent that are against her or have no opinion at all. So why is this a big win for Sottomayer?